Open Data Policy

Purpose

The Board of Accountancy’s (ACB) Open Data Planning Plan is established to meet the requirements of the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) Policy – 187  Open Data Planning.

Policy - 187 defines the responsibilities and expectations of agencies and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) related to implementation of existing state statute and emerging private, local and federal practices.

Plan

This plan is adopted by ACB and is intended to make data available in an open and readily usable format consistent with state processes and within security and privacy parameters. It creates a shared responsibility between business and technology. 

Commitments

1. Incorporate public access when acquiring, redesigning, or rebuilding information systems
   • The agency will continue to maintain and make available a Licensee Search located at data.wa.gov. 
   • The agency will continue to develop and keep current a data catalog that identifies the data held in the agency databases. This will assist in determining the appropriate level of public access. 
   • If the agency submits a decision package for review by the OCIO, it will include open data as a component of the system design.
2. Coordinate technology planning across program and agency boundaries to facilitate electronic access to state data
   • The agency will continue to update and improve access to licensure and enforcement actions.
   • The executive management will continue to oversee the reporting of the agency’s open data efforts and ensure the plan is being updated accordingly. 
3. Develop processes to determine which information the public most wants and needs
   • The agency will track the number of “hits” on the agency’s web pages to improve on the data that is published.
   • The agency will encourage the public to comment on open data and review the feedback to determine future data sets for the public.
   • The agency will monitor the potential impact of published agency open data has on the Public Records Act requests. 
4. Develop and employ methods to readily protect non-disclosable data
   • The agency will require training for all staff in records management, public records, and privacy.
   • The agency will discuss topics which include records management, data security, and privacy in monthly staff meetings.
5. Develop and employ technical mechanisms for posting open data
   • The agency will continue to improve the automation of data publishing.
   • The agency will train staff on determining what information is sensitive or personal in a dataset.